Dental insurance can be expensive to purchase on your own if you do not have an employee-sponsored plan. However dental work, especially if it is major and extensive can be very pricey as well. If your workplace does not offer dental insurance then it is important to find a private plan that covers the services that you require. Here we sink our teeth into some important information worth knowing before you start looking for dental insurance coverage.
Overview of Private Dental Insurance
Understanding private dental insurance is an important first step to figuring out if it is right for you. The first thing you must do is choose a plan based on the dentists you are permitted to select from as well as how much money you can afford to pay. If you currently see a dentist that you are happy with and he or she is one of the dentists’ in the insurance company’s network then you will have the option of choosing one of the more budget savvy plans.
If on the other hand your dentist is not in the network and you wish to continue to see him or her then you can still get the insurance you need but it will cost you more because your dentist is an out-of-network provider. This may not put you in a better position insurance-wise however.
If at the present time you do not have a dentist that you see then you can select a dentist from within the network and are given the option of a plan that is relatively cheap. Only you can decide what is best for your life.
How much you pay in monthly premiums will vary from one insurance company to another. It also depends upon where you live and the type of plan you select. As a general guideline the monthly premium is likely to be somewhere in the area of $50 per month. This means that in the run of a year you would pay the insurance company $600 regardless of whether you have dental work done or not.
Things to Think About with Dental Insurance
It is important to remember that insurance is purchased for the unexpected. You do not know for sure that you will need it but it is there for you just in case. It serves as a form of protection. Think of it as a buffer if the worst case scenario were to occur in your life. However dental insurance is somewhat different than other types of insurance. You legally cannot drive on the road without automobile insurance. Without health insurance or homeowner’s insurance disaster could strike that could leave you in financial ruins if you are not insured.
When it comes to your teeth you might very well be able to afford the work you wish to have done. For many people the time they spend in a dentist’s chair is all about preventative care. It involves examinations, x-rays and cleanings. If you have dental insurance it will cover these basic services but you will also be paying more for your insurance than you require. If all of your big dentist work is behind you then paying out of pocket might actually suit your budget better.
When Dental Work Needs to be Done
Not all dental plans cover the same things. The more services you wish to have covered the more money you will have to shell out for coverage. If you need more work done on your teeth beyond the regular preventative care in any given year then you may discover that the coverage you have limits you to an amount that is not high enough to cover all of the work you need done. For example, most dental insurance plans have an annual maximum that is low- such as in the area of $1,000. What this means is that if your work costs more than that then you will have to pay the remainder of the bill yourself. While this does vary by insurance plan and insurance provider most companies do impose a maximum per year that is not very high.
When you have insurance you are likely to pay a lower negotiated fee for the dental work but sometimes even these fees are relatively high. To use an example, the regular fee that the dentist charges for a filling may be $150 while the negotiated fee is $100. This means that your regular dental maintenance and the filling you had will use up all or the majority of your yearly maximum which means that in actual fact only a fraction of a large dental bill is covered by insurance. You will still have to pay money out of your own pocket as well as the monthly premiums you are already paying.
There are also co-payments to think about which are generally imposed on most kinds of dental work, be they preventative or otherwise. For those unfamiliar with co-payments (or co-pays as they are sometimes referred to) they are fixed fees that are paid every type a particular dental service is accessed.
Be aware too that dental insurance rarely covers expensive procedures that are done to improve the appearance of the teeth or gums. Orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry procedures are not often covered. Even if they are covered there is still the annual maximum to think about. When you take into consideration the regular maintenance on your teeth as well as the extra cosmetic work there is no doubt that you will be paying your fair share for the work out of your own pocket.
Waiting for Dental Insurance Will Not Work
Making the decision to wait until you need dental insurance and then to go ahead and buy it just will not work. When you need work done you generally need it done sooner as opposed to later. Insurance companies are one step ahead of their customers in terms of their reasoning about the issue of waiting. What happens when you purchase a dental plan is that the company will impose a waiting period or probationary period on you. Not all waiting periods come with the same set of rules. However many have their share of stipulations. For example, for the first year of being insured you may not be covered for any major dental work such as crowns, periodontal or root canals. As well for the first three months of the plan the insurance company will not pay for any minor work you have done such as having a filling. This puts you in kind of a conundrum doesn’t it?
Group Plan Dental Insurance
Dental insurance through a group plan at your work often covers more services and can also be less expensive than buying it through a private plan. However employer-sponsored benefits are sometimes no better. Before you sign on the dotted line it is essential that you look over the plan and see what it has to offer. Look closely at what you would be paying on a monthly basis, as well as what the annual maximum and the co-pays are. If you are offered a really good plan for $20 or $30 a month that will cover your entire family and has a generous annual maximum then it is likely to be worth your while to purchase.
It is worth noting that buying dental insurance is a smart thing to do for the person who has very little money saved and/or is living from one paycheck to another (and sees no progress being made in this area in the near future). Even preventative maintenance can be expensive in the long-term. You do not want to neglect the care of your teeth nor do you want to have to pay for the work on a credit card that may be difficult for you to pay off. In this case finding an insurance plan that you can afford is in your best interests.
Whether you decide to sign up for private dental insurance, a group plan or choose to go it alone it is important to always observe excellent oral health care. Brush and floss your teeth on a regular basis, see your dentist for an exam and a professional cleaning twice a year and take as good care of yourself in every weary as you possibly can. At the first sign of any problem schedule an appointment with your dentist immediately.
